Down but not out.
I would like to share this story with your readers:
I live in Orlando and am a lady rider who enjoys riding my 79 Superglide to work occasionally, especially now that gas prices have increased. On Tuesday, May 11th, I decided to ride my bike to Seaworld where I work.
Usually the ride is uneventful, little traffic at 5:10 in the morning and my ride is only twelve miles from my driveway with only a few turns, some construction but because I'm so accustomed to driving the same roads every day, I know what to look out for. Every day except May 11th.
The ride was going fine until I slowed down to make my turn from Sand Lake Road onto Turkey Lake Road, then, disaster! Apparently there had been some new road work that wasn't there the day before, a road crew had either repaired the curb or filled a hole and instead of taking a few minutes to sweep all of the sand and gravel to the side of the road, they left it scattered across the right lane. Because it was dark and there was a car in the left lane, I made the turn in the right lane and when I did, my bike slid on the sand and down I went. Like in the movies, I felt everything happen in slow motion, probably because I wasn't going very fast but I found myself almost face down in the dirt with my head two inches from the curb, pinned under my bike.
My first reaction was of course to turn the bike off but it had shut itself off. My second reaction was to try and free myself from the bike but because the right foot peg broke off as I later learned, the bike's weight was completely on my leg and I was stuck. Of course, my mind is racing because I was in a dangerous position, my bike and myself were still in the right lane, it was dark and this road is generally a very busy one. Not only that, I could now see gasoline pouring from my bike and running towards my face. Not being one to panic, I thought, hopefully someone will stop and help me but as I lay there, many cars whizzed past me, even going around me and my bike to avoid me!
I'm sure I didn't lay there long but it seemed like an eternity and because no one was stopping to help, I knew I had to get out from under this bike. I focused my thoughts on freeing myself although I was now starting to feel pain. I think adrenaline took over and I managed to wiggle my foot out of my shoe and pulled myself from the bike. As I stood up, I stumbled and fell into the curb and I realized the pain was coming from my knees, wrists and hands. I sat on the curb where I fell and pulled off my gloves and helmet, gave myself a quick 'once-over' to see if there was any blood I should know about. I must have been a site. Covered from head to toe in dirt, one shoe on, one shoe off but I was alive and no serious road rash thanks to my gloves, leather jacket and jeans. The best part was, no head injury. I always wear a helmet.
Now that I knew I would be all right, I had to get the bike up and out of the way of traffic. Did I mention that no one was stopping to help me??? Did I mention that of all the cars that passed right by me, no one bothered to call an ambulance or a police officer??
Anyway, I knew that I could not lift this bike up alone, I have dropped the bike before in the grass and couldn't pick it up then and with my left hand now out of commission, I knew for sure I couldn't lift it. As I was standing there trying to decide what to do, a car pulls up and stops and this kindly gentleman got out and asked if I was all right and could he call an ambulance. I think in my dazed and confused mind I told him I was all right but I would need him to help me right the bike and between the two of us, we got it up and on the kick stand. He offered to let me use his cell phone and I was able to contact my husband who had ridden HIS bike to work that morning also! After talking to the helpful stranger for a few minutes I realized that he wasn't from this country. In his thick accent, he said he was going home from working all night and he saw me and because he was going in the opposite direction, he had to drive up the road a bit then turn around and come back.
After this ordeal was over and I was sitting in the emergency room with my husband waiting to be seen by a doctor, I began to think about all the people who passed me by, even driving around me to avoid me, not one person slowed down, not one person made a call for an ambulance. Not one American, but one man who although obviously not born in America but came to this country to BE an American, wasn't concerned about how tired he probably was from working all night, but knew it was the right thing to do, to help someone in trouble. He didn't know if I was a male or female, he didn't know if I was going to hurt him, he just knew someone was probably injured and he had to help and he did.
I don't put much faith in people, I generally don't trust anyone and I feel sad about that but it's because of people like those that passed me by that I feel the way I do about humans. It's sad that we are so selfish, so self-absorbed, so afraid to be sued, so paranoid of everything that we fall short of compassion. Outwardly, this behavior in us makes me so angry that I say, "I'm never going to stop and help anyone because of what happened to me," but truthfully, I can't say that. I still have compassion for those in trouble and I will still try to help if I can.
I would like to let all of you riders know that if I see you on the side of the road, in the middle of the road or broken down anywhere, I will stop and help you. You can bet on that. And if you think for one minute that people from other countries should go back to their country because they aren't truly Americans, please remember the foreign stranger who helped me when no one else would.
Ride safe my friends.
LilRedRider65922@aol.com
